Printing apparatus of the aforementioned type is frequently used to output specific reports about system states or parameter configurations, for example. A device of this type has already been disclosed by European patent EP 0 918 222 B1. In particular in a digital tachograph, various types of reports or assemblages of information can be output upon request by means of a printing operation on a print medium which, as a rule, is part of a paper supply wound up on a roll. In order to request such an assemblage of information as a printout, it is always necessary to specify the request in more detail, which is normally done within a menu-driven query procedure. In particular within the context of the use of the subjects mentioned at the beginning in conjunction with a digital tachograph, the menu-guided specification of the desired printout is a procedure that is complicated and prone to errors, since the extremely limited space in the region of the motor vehicle cockpit permits only a small-format operating unit. Accordingly, because of the lack of a large number of operating elements, a particularly deep menu structure is chosen in order to ensure all the required functional variety, which makes the choice of the desired assemblage of information of the printout additionally time-consuming. Furthermore, the patience of the user is tested unduly by the fact that the display of the user guide is normally assisted only by means of acronyms and therefore comprehensive reading of the operating instructions is needed in order to handle the device correctly.